Traveling the South Coast to Skógafoss #skogafoss #iceland #waterfalls #travel

On By Alethea KehasIn Travel Adventures

We departed the stunning Seljalandsfoss as the clouds began to roll in, and headed towards our next destination. Not too far up the road, is another one of Iceland’s famous waterfalls. This one is fed by the Skógá river, and is also visible from the highway. The distance, though, belies its impressive size and power.

There’s a bit of trek from the parking areas to the falls. Note the faces in the hillside.

In some ways I was a bit dismayed that the skies above us had clouded over and a light rain had begun to pour down. When I took in the landscape around Skógafoss, though, I realized the weather provided the perfect atmosphere for our meeting.

A close-up of the mighty falls. Unlike Seljalandsfoss, the falls are not very approachable. Their force is quite powerful, as is their spray, and the river flows wide above and beneath them.

The land here is palpably alive. The hills animated with forms that make you wonder who is really in charge. Not-so-hidden guardians peer over the parking lot and watch the water as though cataloguing who belongs and who does not.

Guardians in the hills

Reverence and respect are essential, as Skógafoss and its mighty Skógá river clearly wield the power.

The hues of green in the landscape, along with its contours give it an other-worldly feel.

Standing as near as you can get to the bottom of the falls, you will get a true sense of the power that is unleashed by the water, as well as a good spray.

We took our selfie from a bit of a distance.

The only way from there is up. Up a steep and rather tall hillside. Which can also be quite slippery. Do take care here if you visit and wear solid hiking shoes.

The force of the falls from above

If you have the time, walk a bit along the Skógá river. I can’t tell you how far to venture, as the possibilities seem almost limitless here. One can travel as far as some of Iceland’s glacier from here, but that would take a fair amount of time and preparedness. Fatigue and lack of a good night’s sleep dictated how far we traveled that day, but it was enough to get a feel of the magic of the landscape. Click through the slideshow to take in some of the wonders of the Skógá river.

We were also getting hungry. As we somewhat reluctantly turned around to make our way back down the steep and slippery hillside, our thoughts turned toward food. The Skógafoss Bistro Bar sits at the entrance to the parking lots, and offers a tasty array of foods for the hungry traveler, as well as wonderful views of the waterfall. We were more than sated after we left to embark upon our next adventure.

Our meal with a view

Although we didn’t hike to the glaciers behind Skógafoss, we were headed toward one not too far off the highway.

Next up: Sólheimajökull 

16 thoughts on “Traveling the South Coast to Skógafoss #skogafoss #iceland #waterfalls #travel”

  5. Pingback: Following the Clouds from a Waterfall to a Rapidly Retreating Glacier #iceland #Sólheimajökull #climatechange – The Light Behind the Story

  6. I appreciate your comment about the hills causing you to wonder who is really in charge. I’ve experienced that feeling a few times.
    Your photos are beautiful! Can you tell me how accessible these places are on foot? I don’t drive when I travel to another country but I love to hike (one of my primary reasons for traveling) and I would love to hike to these gorgeous places.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. I’m glad you can relate and you enjoyed the photos. All of the places we visited are also popular for tour buses and other for-hire drives, so you would not have to drive to any of them if you didn’t want to. Unfortunately you’d likely need get transport to most of them unless you wanted to bike. Iceland is pretty spread out for a small island. Once you are at the sights, though, they are all great for walking/hiking. The only other issue would be to ensure you had enough time to explore them. There was a lot we wished could have seen more of at most of the places we went to.

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